Priority Three: Research and Scholarship
Startup Survivor
The Forge’s Startup Survivor is an entrepreneurial program and pitch competition supporting 10 groups of McMaster students and/or alumni to start and build a business in just four months. Participants were comprised of current and recent alumni from undergraduate, masters and PhD programs across many different Faculties (Faculty of Engineering, Faulty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, DeGroote School of Business, Faculty of Social Sciences). $75,000 was divided among program participants to further support startup growth and development.
Supporting Local Startup Success
In the 2023 fiscal year, The Forge supported 30 startups founded by McMaster students, alumni and entrepreneurs across Southwestern Ontario. Notable companies in the news include:
Bring Your Own Bottle Research Initiative
Housing & Conference Services (HCS) implemented sustainable infrastructure improvements based on student-led research. In collaboration with student groups in SUSTAIN 3S03 and 4S06, the Residence Life and Building Operations units installed water refill stations on campus as part of the Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) initiative. HCS also promoted an interactive map of campus refill stations at move-in, which led to decreased bottled water purchases by students living in residence.
Resilience and Connection: Artistic Explorations of Mental Health
Presented in partnership by the Student Wellness Centre (SWC) and McMaster Museum of Art, Resilience and Connection: Artistic Explorations of Mental Health is a showcase of student art supported by the Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society (ARMS) initiative Canadian Mental Health Association (Hamilton Branch). The installation in the L.R. Wilson lobby features undergraduate and graduate student poetry, paintings, collages and digital art. In May 2023, parts of this showcase were merged with artwork from the broader Hamilton community and showcased in the Centre 3 Gallery in downtown Hamilton.
